


Seven Minutes

by Calyxir



Series: countdown [1]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Death, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Choi Soobin, M/M, One Shot, Sad Choi Soobin, Sad Ending, Short One Shot, Time to Cry, War, War AU, oof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:48:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24978706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calyxir/pseuds/Calyxir
Summary: Before one dies, the brain relays 7 minutes of the person’s life. Choi Yeonjun never came home from the war.Seven minutes before his death,his soul wanted to grant Yeonjun one last favour: Reliving the memories Yeonjun had.All of which… involved Soobin.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Series: countdown [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998643
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	Seven Minutes

“ ** _He tried to keep his promise_** , hyung.”

Soobin stared blankly at Kai, Yeonjun’s brother, who delivered him the news, his shaking hand clutching the state’s letter of confirmation that 𝘩𝘪𝘴 Yeonjun died in the war.

“Also, he wanted you to have this.”

It was a box.

It was a ring.

“He… was planning on proposing to you once he came back.”

Soobin remained composed in front of Kai. He wanted to break down, but he knew Kai was probably feeling _worse—no._

No other person could even light a candle to what Soobin felt.

The _melancholy_. The gravity that pulled on his heart.

He took the velvet box from Kai.

In another universe, maybe Yeonjun would be standing in front of him, kneeling on one leg, proposing in the most cliché manner. Maybe he would be crying of happiness instead of grief.

“Thank you…, Kai.” Soobin managed to say, sobs threatening to clog his throat.

Without another word, Kai left. Almost immediately, his knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He had no strength to stand, the least he could do was open the box.

 ** _"Will yu marry me, Soobin?"_** Yeonjun's voice in his head was loud and clear.

“Yes…” he said as he put the ring on by himself.

He imagined Yeonjun jumping up from the floor and giving him a hug, or even a kiss.

The tears blocked his vision. His phone started to ring, relatives have probably already heard the news.

But Soobin didn’t need condolences.

He needed _Yeonjun_.

~

 ** _If only he knew_** , during his last moments, Yeonjun needed him too.

But Soobin was back home, and Yeonjun was fighting for his life in the battlefield.

He heard Beomgyu’s warning, a scream of, “Yeonjun-hyung!”

He turned towards his friend’s voice, a millisecond too late.

A 𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙂 ripped through the air. A bullet. He didn’t know where it hit him.

It didn’t matter. The pain spread through his body. He could feel the blood drain out of him, every _beat_ of his _heart_ weakened by the second.

He collapsed onto the ground.

He saw his blood taint the green grass crimson—saw the brown soil turn darker.

He saw Beomgyu run to him, before he too was shot.

Lightheaded, he was aware of the ruckus around him.

Yeonjun felt numb, his slowly darkening eyesight staring at the sky. The sun burned his vision and he cried.

Not because of the physical pain of the bullet lodged into his chest, but because he realized he would never see Soobin again.

He wanted to reach for their polaroid picture in his breast pocket, but the muscles in his outstretched arms weren’t cooperating.

Yeonjun’s heart gave out. The heart that beat for Soobin gave up…, but his mind didn’t. Not yet.

His soul wanted to grant Yeonjun one last favour: Reliving the memories Yeonjun had. All of which… involved Soobin.

𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨.

That was the maximum time period before the neurons in his brain and his whole being would shut down completely.

-𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣-

They were high school. Soobin was the president of the baking club. Yeonjun hated it there, he only joined the club because “his friends were there, too”.

Little did they know, the real reason he signed up was because of Soobin.

Soobin was shocked that the school’s popular “It Boy” joined his domestic club.

Honestly, Yeonjun was getting on Soobin’s nerves. The boy was too loud, chatting away with Beomgyu while he gave instructions.

Yeonjun was clumsy. He has “accidentally” broken a total of three plates, a wine glass, and even managed to “accidentally” disconnect the knife’s blade from its handle.

When Soobin asked Yeonjun to hand him the bag of flour in a cupboard, he ended up “accidentally” tearing it open, causing it to spread like baby powder everywhere.

Soobin has had enough.

The members were preparing to leave when Soobin, called out to the little rascal named Choi Yeonjun.

“I need to talk to you.”

Beomgyu smacked Yeonjun’s back.

Yeonjun snarled at him, “Act natural.”

Beomgyu instead made kissy faces, annoying his friend even more.

Soobin was amused, and Yeonjun shyly made his way to him, hand scratching his nape in embarrassment.

“Ignore my friend… he’s a joker.”

Soobin smiled and nodded.

“Yeonjun-hyung, don’t react badly to this but… the other members are thinking of… removing you from the club.”

Yeonjun wasn’t surprised.

“Okay.”

 _“Okay?”_ Soobin asked, confused.

“I had it coming, but do me a favour and save me some bread once in a while?”

“Okay… you don’t hate me… or anything?”

“No,” Yeonjun couldn’t help smiling, “how could I ever hate someone as cute as you.”

Soobin blushed.

𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, Soobin has noticed him.

-𝙎𝙞𝙭-

Giving Yeonjun free tastes of whatever he baked became a routine for Soobin.

Only this time, he wasn’t delivering it to Yeonjun’s classroom or locker.

Yeonjun fell sick with the flu, and Soobin didn’t let that stop him from giving Yeonjun the bread.

He knocked on the door, which Huening Kai answered.

When Soobin entered Yeonjun’s room, he saw Yeonjun on his bed, listlessly flipping the TV’s channels with his remote.

When he noticed Soobin’s presence by his door, he shot up and hid his face behind a pillow.

“Soobin-ah, ever heard of knocking?!”

Really, Yeonjun could care less about knocking, if only he didn’t look like sh*t. He looked sick.

“Here, maybe this will make you feel better,” Soobin said, setting the package of bread on Yeonjun’s side table.

Still behind the pillow, Yeonjun asked, “Since when do you do house deliveries?”

Soobin laughed and grabbed the pillow away from Yeonjun’s face.

“Heh~ I don’t. I just happened to miss your annoying face.”

“Hmp,” Yeonjun whined, “I didn’t miss you.”

Soobin was about to believe him.

But Kai’s voice boomed from outside, “Didn’t miss him my a*s, hyung!”

-𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚-

It was still vivid. Yeonjun could still remember the bliss he felt when he and Soobin kissed for the first time.

He couldn’t recall how it happened—but he was happy it did.

It was sweet and only lasted a few seconds, both their eyes were closed, the sound of fireworks along with people screaming “Happy New Year” were heard around them.

Amidst all the noise, Yeonjun and Soobin were tangled up in their own world.

Soobin was the first to pull away, cheeks blushing like crazy.

Yeonjun was frozen to the spot.

Was it possible… that Soobin **_liked_** him back?

-𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧-

Soobin **_loved_** him back.

They took it slow, and in three months’ time, Yeonjun officially called Soobin his.

His parents were accepting of their relationship.

Thankfully, they believed that love was love, and gender isn’t a limit when it came to finding your soulmate.

“Eomma… appa, this is… Soobin,” Yeonjun said, heart nearly thumping out of his chest, “my… boyfriend.”

Soobin was just as nervous as him, but that all melted away when Yeonjun’s parents suddenly engulfed him in a group hug.

It wasn’t long until they treated Soobin as their own, and trusted Soobin with Yeonjun wholeheartedly.

-𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚-

“Soobin, I’m enlisting for the **_military_**.”

“Wha… what? Isn’t there any other--”

“It’s a _family legacy_ , Soobin-ah. I can’t just break that.”

Soobin fell silent as a thousand possibilities raced through his head. Soobin felt angry. Yeonjun was _really_ willing to leave him, without any assurance if he would live through it.

“All the Chois have come back alive the past years.”

Did that sentence comfort Soobin? No, not one bit.

He felt betrayed. Yeonjun was walking away from him, and walking into a possible death.

He stormed out of Yeonjun’s house, salty tears staining his face as he took a cab back home.

-𝙏𝙬𝙤-

Soobin has been ignoring Yeonjun’s calls for two weeks straight.

He knew Yeonjun has sent him voice messages, but he never bothered to listen to them.

Yeonjun marked another date in his calendar with an ‘x’.

He was leaving for war tomorrow.

"𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤! 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙎𝙤𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙣'𝙨 𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙥, 𝙝𝙚𝙝~"

He spoke into the receiving end.

“Soobinnie… it’s been days. I… I tried going to your house but… you never let me in. I… I just want to let you know I’m leaving tomorrow. I… I’m hoping to see you at the train station. I love you.”

-𝙊𝙣𝙚-

Yeonjun was at the station, three hours earlier than call time.

Kai was there with him. He was crying, of course he was.

Beomgyu, who has just arrived with his own stuff asked Yeonjun, “Are you still waiting for him?”

Yeonjun looked at his wristwatch. “Yes. I know Soobin needed space… it was a large bomb I dropped on him.”

Just as he said that, Soobin came.

Soobin ran towards Yeonjun as they pulled each other in for a hug.

Soobin started to shake in Yeonjun’s hold.

“Hyung, I… I’m so so sorry--”

Yeonjun pulled away and held Soobin’s tear stained cheeks in his hands.

“Shh, Sobinnie~ it’s okay--”

“No, it’s not, I ignored you for so long--”

“That doesn’t matter, you’re here now.”

~

“Smile!” Yeonjun said as he held his polaroid camera in front of their faces.

Yeonjun forced a grin, but Soobin couldn’t show any emotion other than utter sadness.

Who would be able to smile when the person you love the most was leaving for war?

The camera soon produced the picture. It took a while for it to materialize on the film, and as soon as it did, Soobin took it and wrote a note.

"𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨. 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣, 𝙔𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙣-𝙝𝙮𝙪𝙣𝙜. 𝙄𝙡𝙮-𝙎𝙤𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙣."

Yeonjun smiled weakly at him as Soobin tucked the polaroid into the pocket of his shirt—near his heart.

“I’ll miss you,” Soobin said.

Yeonjun held onto Soobin’s hands and kissed his knuckles.

“Don’t be sappy, hyung~” Soobin whined, not bothering to pull his hands away.

Yeonjun let out a chuckle.

He leaned in and kissed Soobin. It felt similar to the first time they did this.

Innocent. Sweet. Loving.

This time, Yeonjun was the first to pull away.

“Promise me you’ll come back,” Soobin said, his lips quivering.

**_"I promise.”_ **

Soobin held onto Yeonjun’s hands tightly, before all the soldiers were called onto the train.

Just like that, the warmth of Yeonjun’s hands left his.

\-----------

In a way, Yeonjun did come back. Only…, he was lifeless… in a casket… and surrounded by white flowers.

The funeral was held two days after Kai told Soobin the news.

Soobin couldn’t bring himself to look at Yeonjun’s face inside the coffin.

As Kai spoke of his happy memories with his brother, Soobin stared at the picture of Yeonjun smiling.

He couldn’t bring himself to stand up on the podium and give a eulogy—a speech for Yeonjun. He couldn’t. He knew he would start crying as soon as he said the first word.

Maybe, soon, Soobin would find happiness again.

Soon he would find a way to revive the euphoria that Yeonjun sparked in him.

But right now, as the coffin was being lowered into the ground, he has to accept the fact that 𝙝𝙞𝙨 Yeonjun broke the Choi’s family legacy.

**_Yeonjun was gone, and Soobin’s soul died with him._ **

**Author's Note:**

> i'm so sorry. ily,,, uhm,,, so the eternally mv was gReaT i cRieD,,, as usual, comments and kudos are appreciated uwuwuwu


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